Erika Simm
I am a painter who studied at Brighton University in 2005. I sell original Artwork & prints here. My main areas of interest are portraits (with a twist/added animal), Nature (Plants & Flowers juxtaposed with gorgeous Pottery) & Typography Collage. I live in Tunbridge Wells with my two children, husband and doggie and own a Pizza restaurant which doubles up as a neighbourhood Art Gallery. Please get in touch for further information or to say hey!
About my process
I always begin a new painting project by mixing around 30 colours on the palettes, then I’ll keep mixing as I go along. Sometimes I have an idea of the kind of colours I’m drawn to, but often paintings come
together instinctively, so I’m always tweaking.
The first stage is to make sketches using charcoal, which gives me freedom to rub out and start again. Once I’m happy with the general shape, I use vibrant fast drying acrylic ink to create an opposing base colour that bounces or clashes with the oil paint which i then lay using an impasto style, applying thick paint with a brush or palette knife to add depth of colour and texture. the last layer I paint is more acrylic ink with a small brush while the oil is still wet, the effect is lovely, really vibrant, it sits on top of the oil and makes the colours pop.
If I’m not happy with a painting and can’t seem to make it right, I’ve learned that the most important thing is to walk away. Coming back the next day, you can look with fresh eyes and perhaps see what has gone wrong. But if not, you just have to paint over it and do
something else on top. A ‘blastover’ these often turn into my
favourite paintings!
The freedom of the early stage of a new painting is my favourite, then the whole thing collapses and your job is to fix it! thats the work. The result is the gift.
Erika x
